Rescue divers from Italy's Vigili del Fuoco firefighting service and other partner agencies have found the last missing occupant of a luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily in a highly-publicised incident early last week.
The recent recovery of the body of an 18-year-old girl marks the conclusion of the search and rescue (SAR) operation that began in the immediate aftermath of the sinking of the UK-registered yacht Bayesian off the fishing village of Porticello on August 19.
The last recovered victim has been identified as Hannah Lynch, the daughter of British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, who also perished in the incident. This contradicts earlier reports by some international news outlets saying that the Lynches' bodies were among the first to be recovered during the SAR effort.
An Italian Coast Guard official said Bayesian had been struck by a waterspout as a storm swept through the area at around 04:30 local time on the day of the tragedy. The yacht then sank to a depth of 50 metres near where it had been anchored.
The incident has a final death toll of seven, whereas 15 of those who were on board Bayesian survived including the captain and Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who was also the owner of the yacht.
Local media said that prosecutors have meanwhile begun investigating whether Bayesian's captain, identified as 51-year-old New Zealand national James Cutfield, should be charged with manslaughter and negligence in connection with the mishap.